11/12/2012

Daily Telegraph: "Census 2011: Renters soar as proportion of homeowners falls"


Link to Daily Telegraph

"The proportion of residents of England and Wales living in private rented accommodation increased from 9 per cent in 2001 to 15 per cent last year.

"At the same time the number of those who own their own home with a mortgage or other loan dropped from 39 per cent to 33 per cent.

"The shift reflects the growing trend for people in professional jobs to continue renting into their 30s and sometimes even 40s as they struggle to save enough money for a deposit to buy a house or flat."

24/11/2012

Evening Standard: "Most families in London now rent rather than own homes"


Link to Evening Standard

"Fewer than half of London families own the roof over their heads for the first time in 30 years.

" 'Generation rent' is now in the majority after soaring prices, a mortgage famine and a disastrous housebuilding slump shattered the home-buying dreams of tens of thousands of Londoners.

"Latest government figures show that just 1.656- million, or 49.9 per cent, of the capital’s 3.318- million homes are occupied by the people who own them.

"The rest are rented out by private landlords, councils or housing associations."

13/11/2012

Evening Standard: "Londoners need £57,000 to get on housing ladder"


Link to Evening Standard

"Struggling young buyers in London need a deposit of £57,175 to get a foothold on the property ladder, a report claimed today.

"The vast sum required to obtain a mortgage on a typical first-time property is more than twice the £27,537 average for the country as a whole, according to the Halifax’s Generation Rent report."

28/10/2012

"Victorian restoration takes pride of place in Colindale development"


Link to 'Easier Property"

"Fairview New Homes will next week (3rd November) unveil a collection of only nine unique apartments [flats] painstakingly fashioned from a magnificently restored Victorian building at the heart of the company’s Pulse development in Colindale.

"The Pavilion was built in 1899 as a flagship administrative building for the new hospital in Colindale and its exuberant Baroque exterior ensured the building remained a local landmark throughout its history."

26/10/2012

Barnet Times: "Barnet Borough Council considers pedestrian safety proposals for Colindale"


Link to web site

"Barnet Borough Council is considering £295,000 plans to implement pedestrian safety changes in Colindale.

"The council’s Hendon Area Environment Sub-Committee is considering plans to improve Aerodrome Road.

"The changes would be funded with money that developer St George is obliged to pay as a condition of the planning permission it was granted to develop Beaufort Park."

25/10/2012

Andrew Dismore AM: "When will it stop? Yet even more development in Colindale"


Link to web site

"Mr Dismore said:
"The Conservative-controlled Barnet council has just given planning consent for yet more building at Zenith House site, 309 properties. The British Library is now marketing its site, which it will release in 2014, for another 345 homes – and the Peel Centre. Just when will this overdevelopment stop?

The Conservatives are opposing similar but far smaller developments in Enfield just over the border at Cat Hill, yet are perfectly prepared to build the Colindale community out of existence."

21/10/2012

Mail on Sunday: "Foul-mouthed MPs trade insults during booze-fuelled argument in front of Army chief at £3,000 banquet"


Link to Mail on Sunday

"MPs hurled foul-mouthed insults at each other, during a boozy £3,000 banquet in front of Army chief General Sir Peter Wall.

"Labour MPs staged a walkout after [Hendon] Tory MP Matthew Offord called one of them a 'gobshite' and another a 'prat'.

"... The MPs did not have to pay a penny for the £60-a-head banquet, organised by the UK Defence Forum for the All Party Parliamentary Armed Forces Group, which is funded by donations from top defence firms, including BAE Systems."




Pets' Corner
Matthew Offord MP and Maximus

"Microchipped and friendly travelling companion on the Northern Line.
Each day I meet tourists, school children and other commuters,
who talk to Matthew and stroke me."


10/10/2012

Barnet Times: "Metropolitan Police's Peel Centre plans in Colindale 'will cripple transport and utlity networks'"


Link to web site

"Plans for 2,000 new homes on a Metropolitan Police training centre will be 'too much for the area to cope with', according to GLA member Andrew Dismore.

"The Barnet representative believes plans for the site, in Aerodrome Road, Colindale will cripple the area’s utility and transport networks.

"Hendon MP Matthew Offord, however, welcomed the plans, arguing the development forms a vital part of the regeneration Colindale."

09/10/2012

Barnet Times: "Union calls off strike over closure NHS Blood and Transplant department"


Link to web site

"Union members have called off industrial action, over plans to close the NHS Blood and Transplant department in Colindale.

"Unite decided against strike action, after NHSBT agreed to have further discussions with representatives from the union, about the plans to move the services to Filton."

08/10/2012

North London Online: "British Library instructs agents on Colindale"


Link to web site

"The British Library has asked Drivers Jonas Deloitte to market their 5.5 acre Colindale site as a residential development opportunity.

"... Approximately two thirds of the site is developed, comprising circa 145,000 sq ft GIA of accommodation arranged over basement, ground to five upper storeys. The site is allocated for 345 residential units and retail space within Barnet Council’s Colindale Area Action Plan."

06/10/2012

Unite: "Blood transfusion service in [Colindale] faces strike action, as flood exposes management plan"



We want the future of Colindale safeguarded,
as well as the centres at Filton and Manchester."
Link to web site

"Blood transfusion test results will be hit by strike action over the threatened closure of the blood testing centre at Colindale in north London. The strike is set for Wednesday 10 October until Friday 12 October.

"The situation has taken a new twist by the fact the blood centre at Filton, near Bristol, which is meant to take up the slack when Colindale closes, has been shut for a week because of the recent heavy rain.

"... Unite members at Colindale’s NHS Blood and Transplant Testing (NHSBT)/ Microbiology Department will be striking again on Wednesday 24 October until Friday 26 October, after they voted by over 90 per cent for strike action, if the dispute cannot be resolved."

05/10/2012

Andrew Dismore AM: "Peel Centre development needed 'like a hole in the head'"


Link to web site

"Andrew Dismore AM, Labour London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden, says Colindale needs the proposed Peel Centre development 'like a hole in the head', after visiting the developers’ exhibition of their plans.

Mr Dismore said: 
"This is yet another huge scale development being imposed on Colindale by Mayor Johnson, on top of the thousands of homes already going up on Grahame Park, Beaufort Park, the former Colindale Hospital site and other plots in the immediate vicinity."

Police launch Peel Centre web site


Link to web site

"This website provides you with background about the history of the site and outlines our emerging plans, prior to a first public exhibition in the autumn [now being held!].

"It also provides ways that you can get in touch with us, should you have any questions.

"We will refine our proposals during the community consultation and prior to submitting a planning application to the London Borough of Barnet around the end of the year."

Barnet Times: "Metropolitan Police plans for The Peel Centre, in Colindale, 'lack employment opportunities'"


Link to Barnet Times

"Plans to build up to 2,000 new homes on a Metropolitan Police training centre went on public display this afternoon.

"The force is selling off a large portion of The Peel Centre, in Aerodrome Road, Colindale, as it looks to find around £500million of savings by 2015.


"Plans for the site, the size of 25 football pitches, include up to 2,000 homes, a primary school, a shopping centre and a public park.


"Developer GVA began a public consultation into its proposals at the first of a three-day exhibition in the Hendon RAF Museum this afternoon."

04/10/2012

Barnet Press: "Peel Centre to be modernised as part of area regeneration plan"


Link to web site

"A POLICE training centre in Hendon will be modernised and partly demolished for community purposes as part of a major regeneration plan.

"The Peel Centre, which is the main training facility for Metropolitan Police officers in Aerodrome Road, Colindale, is only partly used for regional training purposes and unsuitable to meet the needs of 21st century policing, senior police officers announced on Friday.

"The 73 acre site, located next to Colindale tube station, was built in the 1930s and for almost 80 years has been the main training site for police officers serving the Greater London area.

"Existing police training facilities will be modernised and the rest of the site will be opened up to the public creating new homes, jobs, shops and open space, as well as a new primary school. The plans are part of Barnet Council's Colindale Area Action Plan (CAAP).

"... A public exhibition of the plans will take place at the RAF Museum in Colindale on October 4, 5 and 6."

25/09/2012

Barnet Times: "Ceremony for 72nd anniversary of bombing at Colindale tube station"


Link to web site

"Crowds gathered to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the bombing at Colindale Station during the Second World War today.

"A plaque was unveiled in memory of 13 people who were killed when the bomb hit at 8.45pm on September 25, 1940.

"Two trains carrying approximately 400 people were at the station when the mayhem decended. Nine rescue parties worked for seven hours to recover the injured and the dead which included station staff, customers and a police officer."

08/09/2012

'Easier Property': "New homes in Colindale available through NewBuy scheme"


Link to web site

"The Fairview New Homes developments, Pulse and Rhythm, have become the first in the country to offer prospective home-buyers funding from a new challenger bank through the government’s mortgage guarantee scheme, NewBuy.

"NewBuy is the government-backed initiative designed to help overcome the deposit gap faced by many new home-buyers. It is aimed at both first-time buyers and those who already own a home, who only have funds for a 5-10% deposit.


"For buyers meeting their qualifying criteria, the lenders participating in the scheme will provide a 90-95% loan-to-value mortgage which is guaranteed by the government."

03/09/2012

Evening Standard: "Economic growth to be kick-started with 200,000 extra homes, says George Osborne"


Link to web site

"Up to 200,000 extra homes could be built over three years under government plans to kick-start the construction industry.

"The action plan, being unveiled this week, aims to add a percentage point to growth and generate more than 100,000 construction jobs, plus another 200,000 in supply firms, from kitchen builders to carpet fitters.


"Tory MPs today signalled their impatience for action to inject life into the flagging economy."

20/08/2012

[Reposted from Feb 2010] Colindale Area Action Plan approved by Barnet Cabinet


Councillor Melvin Cohen
Cabinet Member for Planning and Environmental Protection
As a successful city-suburb of a world class city, Barnet plays a major role in London’s success, attracting people to the city with the necessary skills to enable it to compete effectively at a global level. Whilst recognising current economic conditions are uncertain, over the long term, Barnet remains London’s fastest growing outer London borough and has a prosperous future. Our Three Strands Approach to planning, development and regeneration: Protect, Enhance and Grow, establishes a boroughwide strategy to protect our most important open and green spaces, enhance our existing centres and quality residential suburban neighbourhoods and plans for growth in appropriate brownfield locations and areas in need of regeneration and renewal. Colindale, located in the west of the Borough, has an important role in all of these priorities, especially Strand 3: Growth, as Barnet’s largest housing-led regeneration area.

Colindale is already identified in the London Plan and Barnet’s adopted Unitary Development Plan as an area that could support significant new development with new housing and jobs. Our aim is to ensure that growth in Colindale is focused around an accessible and attractive new neighbourhood centre that serves the everyday needs of local people combined with an exciting transport gateway interchange at Colindale Underground Station. It is essential that Colindale provides the full range of community and education services that are so important for communities to flourish. New areas of housing will be linked to existing neighbourhoods by an improved network of streets and quality green open spaces. The Council, with its partners, has prepared this Area Action Plan to provide a comprehensive but flexible long term strategy to manage change and deliver high quality sustainable development in Colindale.

Barnet Times: "Oriental City in Colindale to be demolished for new supermarket, homes and Far Eastern food court"

Link to web site

"Plans to redevelop the derelict former Oriental City site in Colindale into new homes, a supermarket and a Asian food court have been unveiled.

"The proposal by Development Securities, the owner of the site which closed in June 2008 and has fallen into disrepair, would see the current building demolished to make way for a new Morrison’s store, 223 townhouses and apartments and a replacement Oriental market.

"The company says the 34,000 sq m development would create 700 jobs while providing much-needed new homes and a shopping centre for the area, while staying true to the history of the site."

05/08/2012

LB of Barnet: "Multi-Million pound boost for the regeneration of Colindale"

Published Tuesday 31 July 2012

"Barnet Council has announced a series of new measures to support the regeneration of Colindale in the west of the borough. 

"The regeneration of Colindale will see 10,000 new homes built in the area over the next 15 years. The area is one of Barnet`s priority regeneration areas.

"The Barnet Council total investment of up to £10m, which will go ahead when matched by Genesis Homes and the government`s Housing and Community Agency, will be split between improving the “public realm” in Colindale and underwriting 400 new homes in the next phase of the redevelopment of Grahame Park.

" 'Public realm' improvements will support development along Colindale Avenue and Grahame Park Way, by widening and redesigning part of Colindale Avenue to improve the pedestrian route through Grahame Park Way, down to Colindale Tube Station.

"A land swap is proposed with Barnet College, making land available for a potential new primary school and building a new college building and public library within the development at Lanacre Avenue.

Councillor Richard Cornelius, Leader of the council said:
"This council is determined to keep the rebuilding of this estate on track. Completion of this phase will make the area more attractive and help the private sector sell other new properties in Colindale. 

"We can help get people on the housing ladder by using the council`s borrowing power to give impetus to the scheme whilst retaining the security of bricks and mortar to secure the reimbursement of tax payers money. 
The council will also make a return on the investment and boost the local job market.”

02/08/2012

Barnet Times: "Barnet Council pledges £5million pot to encourage buyers to dilapidated Grahame Park Estate in Colindale"

Link to web site

"House hunters will be encouraged to invest in the regeneration of the dilapidated Grahame Park estate, with a £5million cash pot from Barnet Council.

"The authority has promised the subsidies, along with another £5million to 'spruce up' roads and infrastructure, in what it describes as a 'priority regeneration area'.

"Fewer flats than expected have been sold within the regeneration project, holding up plans to build 10,000 homes over the next 15 years in the Colindale area.

22/07/2012

Barnet Times: "Wild Bird Week at Royal Air Force Museum" (Wild? There're really angry.)

Link to web site

"Falcons, owls, hawks and eagles will be landing at the Royal Air Force Museum this summer.

The museum in in [sic] Aerodrome Road, Colindale, will hold daily falconry displays at 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm as part of Wild Bird Week, from Monday, July 30 to Sunday, August 5.

14/07/2012

Daily Mail: "A third of first-time buyers are 35 or over, compared to one in ten a decade ago"

Link to Daily Mail

"... The huge increase highlights the struggle young people face, as they try to get a foothold on the housing ladder."

"... Research from the Council of Mortgage Lenders showed the number of first-time buyers under 30 who need help from their parents to purchase a property is also soaring.
"Last year around 80 per cent had ‘financial assistance’ – typically from the so-called ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ – compared with 35 per cent in 2005."

28/06/2012

Daily Telegraph: "'Repossession hot spot' map reveals homeowners most at risk of losing their houses"

Link to web site

"Families living in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham are twice as likely as the average British person to have their homes repossessed, a study has revealed. 

"Research compiled by homeless charity Shelter found those living in the borough are at the highest risk of having their houses repossessed, closely followed by Knowsley in the North West and Thurrock in the East of England. 

"The charity has now constructed a map of repossession 'hot spots', and claimed to have revealed a 'strong link' with rising unemployment."

27/06/2012

BBC: "What future for social housing?"

Link to BBC web site (see other tabs also)

"... Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government built more than a million homes, 80% of which were council houses, largely to replace those destroyed by Hitler.

"The house-building boom continued when the Conservatives returned to power in 1951, but the emphasis shifted at the end of the decade towards slum clearance, as millions were uprooted from cramped, rundown inner-city terraces and re-housed in purpose-built new towns or high rise blocks.

"A generation was introduced to the joys of indoor toilets, front and rear gardens, and landscaped housing estates where, as the town planners boasted, a tree could be seen from every window."

20/06/2012

Barnet Times: "Fun day for Grahame Park residents in Colindale"

Link to Barnet Times

"An annual fun day was held for the residents of Grahame Park on Saturday.

"Nearly 500 people attended the event, which took place in Heybourne Park, and was organised by Genesis Housing Group who are managing the regeneration of Grahame Park."

18/06/2012

Evening Standard: "Why buying a house in London is still CHEAPER than renting"

Link to Evening Standard

"Stepping on to the property ladder instead of renting will save people almost £200,000 over a lifetime, according to research today.

"The report by Barclays showed that the average total of buying, paying mortgages and maintaining a home costs £429,000 over 50 years, not even accounting for the value of the home at the end, compared with £623,000 in rent."

11/06/2012

What House: "New homes launched in Colindale"

Link to web site

"Genesis has announced the launch of The Tower, the latest collection of brand new apartments, at New Hendon Village in Colindale, North West London, featuring a total of 39 one- and two-bedroom apartments, with prices starting from £195,000.

"All new homes at The Tower, a seven-storey building situated at the head of Heybourne Park, will include at least one large balcony or terrace, many looking out onto the parkland."


Link to:

02/06/2012

Brent & Kilburn Times: "Fri 15, Sat 16 June: Consultation on Oriental City site in Colindale"

Link to Brent & Kilburn Times

"Developers will be holding a two-day exhibition where they will showcase their plans for the former Oriental City site in Colindale.

"Proposals for the land in Edgware Road, which had been dubbed London’s ‘real China Town’ before its closure in 2008, will see it transformed into a new Oriental and Far Eastern shopping centre.

"The mixed-used development will include a state-of-the-art Morrisons foodstore, 223 new townhouses and apartments, including family and affordable housing, a 270-seat restaurant, 600-seat foodcourt, and 11 other outlets dedicated to oriental and far eastern retail.

"There will be 580 car parking spaces for shoppers and residents."

17/05/2012

Daily Telegraph: "Housing market is 'broken'"

Link to web site

"The housing market is broken and overcrowding is getting worse, a report warns, as official figures show the number of new homes started by house builders in England fell again in the first three months of the year.

"... Housing minister Grant Shapps said housing plans were taking centre stage in the economic recovery. But he added:
"I am under no illusions that we still have a long way to go. That is why we are continually striving to introduce measures to help those in need.

I am determined to ensure support is available to those not wanting to buy, which is why I want councils to use the full range of powers at their disposal to help those at risk of homelessness."

15/05/2012

Barnet Times: "Crashed wartime fighter winging its way from Sahara to Hendon RAF Museum"

Link to Barnet Times

"A Second World War fighter plane that crash landed in the vast abyss of the Sahara desert almost 70 years ago could be winging its way to a Hendon museum after it was miraculously discovered largely intact.

"The stray Kittyhawk P-40 (similar to the one pictured) went down over Egypt on June 28, 1942, as British RAF pilots came under attack from German general Erwin Rommel."

08/05/2012

Barnet Times: "Colindale charity launches anti-domestic violence campaign"

Link to web site

"An anti-domestic violence charity has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the issue.

"Domestic Violence UK, which is coordinated from Colindale, hopes its 'Inspire Hope – Be A Voice' campaign will shatter the silence surrounding domestic abuse.

"The campaign, which will run throughout May, includes awareness-raising and the launch of a new publication called Mutual Support Magazine."

04/04/2012

Barnet Times: "BBC documentary explores Colindale restoration project"

Link to Barnet Times

"The restoration of two buildings in Colindale belonging to the Royal Air Force will feature in a television documentary.

"The Grahame-White Factory and Watch Office, in Colindale, both built in 1915, were dismantled brick by brick from their original site in Aerodrome Road, Colindale, and rebuilt at the RAF Museum in Grahame Park Way."

21/03/2012

Barnet Times: "Exhibition of sport in the RAF opens in Colindale"

Link to Barnet Times


"Colindale’s Royal Air Force Museum will open its latest exhibition tomorrow.

"From 22 March until 20 September, the museum will display a free exhibition on sports in the RAF."

Barnet Times: "Three hundred new homes for Barnet"

Link to web site

"The borough’s Beaufort Park development [has been] announced as one of the successful bidders assessed by the Homes and Communities Agency.

"The news follows an announcement earlier this year that £5million has been allocated for a massive 3,000 home regeneration project in Grahame Park, Colindale."

15/03/2012

Out-Law: "Barnet Council consults on proposed single flat rate Community Infrastructure Levy"

Link to web site

"Barnet Council has published its preliminary draft Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charging schedule for consultation.

"The preliminary draft states that 'the council has ensured that it is a rate affordable for all viable development proposals brought forwards' whilst recognising that this will secure, overall, a lower rate than under section 106 legal agreements, 'but sees this as its contribution towards ensuring growth in new housing can continue in Barnet'.

14/03/2012

Barnet Times: "Outrage as housing association fells trees"

Link to web site


"The systematic destruction of ancient oak trees by Genesis Housing Association has outraged a Colindale woman.

"As part of the Grahame Park Redevelopment Scheme, Genesis has spent the last few days removing trees from Grahame Park Way. Sandhya Rahi, a freelance film-maker from nearby Beaufort Park, is distraught by the loss of these ancient landmarks."

12/03/2012

The Independent: "5% deposits bid to aid homebuyers "

Link to The Independent

"The NewBuy scheme is forecast to help as many as 100,000 people locked out of the property market by heralding the return of 5% deposits rather than the 20% typically demanded by lenders since the credit crunch.

"But Jonathan Samuels, chief executive of Dragonfly Property Finance, said the scheme 'smacks of desperation', adding:
"The property market will come back when it is ready to come back, and schemes like this are mere tinkering around the edges. If the Government thinks this scheme will kickstart the property market, then it is in Cloud Cuckoo Land."

10/03/2012

Evening Standard: "City house prices 'rise six-fold'"

Link to Evening Standard

"House prices in Truro, Westminster, Edinburgh and Brighton have seen at least a six-fold rise in the last 25 years, a study of the UK's top-performing cities has found. 

"House prices in cities have typically risen from £35,209 in 1986 to £169,707 in 2011 according to the survey, which used Halifax's housing statistics database, still putting them slightly below the UK average house price of £172,427 last year."

22/02/2012

Flats available next to station

Link to whathouse.co.uk

"Pulse is a mixed tenure site located in Colindale, north-west London. A mixed tenure site located in Colindale [sic], the first phase at Pulse will give people living and working in Barnet the opportunity to buy a contemporary home at an affordable price."

08/02/2012

Barnet Investment Plan (from way back in March 2010)

Barnet Borough Investment Plan 22 June 2010

07/02/2012

24Dash.com: "Stalled site cash earmarked for London borough's largest housing estate"

Link to web site

"The regeneration of a London borough's largest housing estate has been earmarked for a slice of the Government's £420m stalled sites fund.

"The project to transform the Grahame Park estate in Colindale, Barnet is one of 18 schemes to potentially receive funding from the Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) £420m 'Get Britain Building' programme."

02/02/2012

Government restarts 127 Colindale homes

Link to web site

Project: Grahame Park P0E & P1bi
Developer: Genesis (GenInvest Ltd)
Total homes: 127


"The Homes and Communities Agency has been inundated with more 170 applications for its £420m Get Britain Building programme to kick-start stalled housing jobs.

"As a result the agency has fast-tracked 18 schemes [including at Colindale] to unlock £46m to start construction of 1,300 new homes.

"The remainder of the bids will now be assessed with a shortlist of schemes to be taken forward released in mid-March.

"Launched less than two months ago, this multi million pound cash injection is expected to unlock up to 16,000 homes on sites that are currently stalled, and help create up to 30,000 jobs in construction and related industries."

22/01/2012

Evening Standard: "After the Games, all this will belong to guinea pigs"


Link to Evening Standard

"Forget Poundbury. A tramp round the monumental Olympic village on Monday in chill sunshine allowed time to reflect that here, covering 67 acres, stands a 3.2-million-square-foot laboratory the size of St James's Park. A place where 6000 humans will fill 2800 homes by late 2014, to begin the biggest experiment in mixed-community living ever conducted in Britain.

"... Could the East Village become a mixed-use template to build mixed communities where the property owner rents rather than sells, just as is normal with office blocks? Sceptics say not. The £825 million the taxpayer has received for 2800 homes and land is at least £200 million less than it cost to build the village and all its infrastructure.

13/01/2012

Genesis Greener Properties on sale



"Genesis has unveiled a collection of new homes at New Hendon Village in Barnet, which tick all the right boxes when it comes to living in a ‘greener’ home. A recent survey by the Energy Saving Trust states ‘carbon appeal’ is attracting homebuyers to properties with 53% of householders willing to pay up to an extra £3,350 for a home with greener features.

"In today’s economic climate, making energy saving improvements to your home will eventually reduce the bills, but by buying a new ‘EcoHome’ rated home at New Hendon Village, all those features and more are already included.*

"Even more of a plus for homebuyers, New Hendon Village is green on the outside too, with apartments overlooking Heybourne Park, which opened earlier this year. The swathe of green open space sits at the heart of the development providing an ideal place to relax and unwind, all year round. Fryent Country Park [in Brent] is also on the doorstep, comprising 250 acres of undulating countryside, conserved woodland, hay meadows, and ponds.

"The apartments themselves are set within an attractive array of buildings featuring private galvanised and painted metal balconies with thermowood timber decking or a terrace and views of the newly reformed parkland.

"All the apartments boast the same high-spec finish with sleek modern kitchens featuring solid granite worktops, ‘Roman Cherry’ units complete with stainless steel oven, hob and integrated extractor fan. Bathrooms and ensuites have chrome fittings, heated towel rails and recessed downlighters. For peace of mind, each apartment has an audio/video entry system.

"New Hendon Village is part of Barnet’s ongoing regeneration, with excellent retail, social and transport facilities helping to make this part of north London the place to live in the capital. New cafes, restaurants and bars are creating a lively, cosmopolitan atmosphere.

"Colindale and Hendon have a good selection of eateries and shops, ideal for everyday needs, while Brent Cross [and its] Shopping Centre is the perfect place to go for that something extra, with a large Fenwicks and John Lewis, and fashion stores such as Banana Republic, Levi, Topshop, LK Bennett and Hobbs.

"New Hendon Village is near Colindale Underground Station, which offers Northern Line services to Brent Cross in five minutes, Hampstead in 12 minutes, Camden Town in 19 minutes and London Bridge in a little over half an hour.

"Prices for apartments start from £190,000. For further information, visit genesishomes.org.uk.
* EcoHomes is an authoritative credential for new home developments. Genesis is pleased to announce their homes have been awarded ‘Very Good’. [Very good.]